Multicellular pump and fluid delivery device

ABSTRACT

The pump is provided with a plurality of pumping chambers and electrically activatable valves. An elastic membrane is arranged in each pumping chamber and divides the same into a first and a second chamber section. Each valve is connected to the second chamber section of a pumping chamber. When a pressure drop is applied over the valve and the valve is activated (i.e. opened), the pressure in the second chamber section changes, which causes the membrane to move, which in turn leads to a change of the volumes of both chamber sections. This e.g. allows to pump well-defined amounts of fluid from the chamber sections to a drug dispensing device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority of European patent application06022556.2, filed Oct. 28, 2007, the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a fluid delivery device, a multicellular pumpand to a method for operating the same.

Multicellular pumps, i.e. pumps conveying a liquid by means of aplurality of individual cells, are able to convey small amounts of fluidin accurate manner, which makes them particularly attractive for variousapplications, e.g. in the fields of drug delivery, chemical analysis, orfuel delivery to fuel cells.

Designs suitable for microfabrication have e.g. been proposed in WO00/28215 and use electrostatic forces for conveying the fluid.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,290 describes a delivery device where a fluid isdelivered from an external reservoir by means of a peristaltic pumpassembly comprising a plurality of chambers with membranes. Themembranes are operated by pressure sources for conveying the liquid.

WO 03/031822 describes a pump with two chambers arranged in series and aflexible membrane arranged in each chamber. The membranes arealternatingly actuated for conveying the liquid.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Many applications, e.g. for portable equipment, require pumps or fluiddelivery devices having low power consumption. Hence, the problem to besolved by the present invention is to provide a multicellular pump ordevice that is particularly suited for low power applications.

Hence, it is a general object of the invention to provide a pump anddevice of the type mentioned above suited for low power applications.

A first aspect of the invention relates to a fluid delivery device thathas a reservoir for holding the target fluid to be delivered, aplurality of pumping chambers and a deformable membrane arranged in eachpumping chamber. The membranes divide each pumping chamber into a firstand a second chamber section. Furthermore, the device comprises aplurality of elastic energy storage means, each of which is held by anelectrically releasable retaining mechanism in an elastically deformedstate and is releasable, by an electric signal fed to the retainingmechanism, to relax at least partially from the deformed state to arelaxed state. By releasing the energy storage means the membrane ismoved from a first position to a second position thereby decreasing thevolume of the first chamber section and increasing the volume of saidsecond chamber section. The reservoir is formed by the first chambers,i.e. no external reservoir or target fluid input is required.

This type of device can be operated using a very small amount ofelectric energy because the energy for conveying the liquid is stored inthe elastic energy storage means.

Advantageously, the elastic energy storage means are formed by themembranes in the chambers, for which purpose the membranes should beelastic.

The retaining mechanism can e.g. be formed by an electricallyactivatable valve or an electrically releasable attachment, such as avalve or attachment that can be destroyed by a heating pulse.

In a further aspect, the invention also relates to a method foroperating such a device. According to this method, all energy storagemeans e.g. the elastic membranes, are brought into their deformed state,such that all membranes are in their first position where the volume offirst the chamber section is large. The first chamber sections are beingfilled with the target fluid such that they can act as a reservoir, fromwhich the fluid can be released at a later time. The thus prepareddevice is then operated by individually releasing the energy storagemeans, e.g. one by one, for conveying defined amounts of target fluid tothe channel.

According to a first aspect of the invention, the pump is provided witha plurality of pumping chambers and electrically activatable valves. Adeformable membrane is arranged in each pumping chamber and divides thesame into a first and a second chamber section. Each valve is connectedto the second chamber section of a pumping chamber. When a pressure dropis applied over the valve and the valve is activated (i.e. opened), thepressure in the second chamber section changes, which causes themembrane to move, which in turn leads to a change of the volumes of bothchamber sections.

This design allows to convey a target fluid in or out of a chambersection. The energy required for this operation is primarily stored aselastic energy in the membrane (if an elastic membrane is used) and/oris provided by the pressure drop over the valve. The electrical energyrequired for operating the valve itself can be small, which makes thedevice attractive for low power applications.

Advantageously, each valve comprises a thermally removable blocking bodyand a heating means arranged in thermal contact with the blocking body.By operating the heating means, the valve can be activated. This simpledesign is particularly suited for pumps that are used only once, e.g. inthe field of drug delivery. The blocking body is advantageously amaterial that can be molten or evaporated by the heat from the heatingmeans.

In a second aspect of the invention, the pump is again provided with aplurality of pumping chambers and a membrane dividing the same into afirst and a second chamber section. In addition, a plurality of elasticenergy storage means is provided, each of which is

a) held in a first, elastically deformed state by means of anelectrically releasable attachment, and

b) releasable from the first position to a second position by releasingthe attachment.

By releasing the energy storage means the membrane is moved from thefirst position to the second position thereby decreasing the volume ofthe first chamber section and increasing the volume of the secondchamber section, which allows to pump a fluid out of the first chambersection or to pump fluid into the second chamber section).

Advantageously, each elastic energy storage means if formed by themembrane itself. Each attachment pulls a corresponding part of themembrane into one of the pumping chambers under elastic deformation.When the attachment is released, the membrane relaxes, thereby moving todecrease the volume of the first chamber section and to increase thevolume of the second chamber section.

The pump is suited to convey liquid as well as gaseous fluids. It canhave an advantageous ratio between storage volume and total volume.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and objects other than those setforth above will become apparent when consideration is given to thefollowing detailed description thereof. Such description makes referenceto the annexed drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of the pump,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of a single cell of the pump in afirst mode of operation prior to activating the valve,

FIG. 3 is the view of FIG. 2 after activating the valve,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a single cell of the pump in asecond mode of operation prior to activating the valve,

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of a single cell of the pump in thesecond mode of operation after activating the valve,

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a circuit for operating the pump,

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of a single cell of a secondembodiment of the invention,

FIG. 8 is a view of the cell of FIG. 7 in a first manufacturing phase,

FIG. 9 is a view of the cell of FIG. 7 in a second manufacturing phase,

FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view of a single cell of a thirdembodiment of the invention,

FIG. 11 is the embodiment of FIG. 8 after expansion of the secondchamber section,

FIG. 12 is an enlarged sectional view of a single cell of a fourthembodiment of the invention,

FIG. 13 is the cell of FIG. 12 after expansion of the second chambersection, and

FIG. 14 is the cell of FIG. 12 during manufacturing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Within the context of the present description and claims, the followingdefinitions are used:

The “target fluid” is the fluid to be conveyed, such as a drug in liquidor gaseous form.

The “auxiliary fluid” is a second fluid, which is conveyed to or fromthe chamber section not used by the target fluid. The auxiliary fluidmay be of a material different from the target fluid, but it may also beof the same material.

“Activating” a valve designates the opening of the valve, i.e. the fluidcan pass the valve after activation.

First Embodiment

The embodiment of the pump and fluid delivery device shown in FIG. 1comprises a substrate 1, which is advantageously a plastic substrate,but which may also be of a different material, such as glass or asemiconductor, in particular silicon. On a first side of substrate 1,namely the top side in FIG. 1, there is located a plurality of pumpingchambers 2. The pumping chambers 2 can e.g. be arranged in aone-dimensional row or, advantageously, a two-dimensional matrix. Eachpumping chamber typically has a volume in the range of a few μm³ toseveral 100000 μm³. The device can comprise a large number of pumpingchambers, such as 1000 or more.

In the embodiment shown here, the pumping chambers 2 are formed byrecesses 6 in substrate 1, which have e.g. been machined byhot-embossing or hot-melt casting techniques as known to the personskilled in the art. Alternatively, the recesses 6 can also be formed byetching techniques.

As can best be seen from FIG. 2, each pumping chamber 2 is divided intotwo chamber sections 2 a, 2 b by means of a flexible, elastic membrane3. Membrane 3 is formed by a flexible, elastic foil 4, which extendsthrough all pumping chambers 2. Membrane 3 is tightly connected, e.g. bygluing or welding, to the top edges of the walls 5 that separate therecesses 2.

The first chamber sections 2 a of all pumping chambers 2 are connectedto a channel 8 that interconnects all pumping chambers. Channel 8 isformed by a gap between substrate 1 and a cover plate 10, wherein coverplate 10 is located at a distance from the first side of substrate 1.Suitable spacers (not shown), e.g. formed by projections at the top sideof substrate 1 or at the bottom side of cover plate 10, can be used tomaintain a well-defined gap width. Channel 8 ends in a port section 11,where it can be connected to an external system, such as a tube leadingto a needle for drug delivery.

A flow sensor 12 is located at port section 11 of channel 8 and can beused to monitor the amount of conveyed liquid. Flow sensor 12 may e.g.be directly integrated on substrate 1. Suitable types of flow sensorsare known to the person skilled in the art and are e.g. described inU.S. Pat. No. 6,550,324.

Also, a flow restrictor 29 may be arranged at port section 11, which ise.g. a narrowed passage and which limits the flow of the pumped liquidto a maximally allowable flow level.

The second chamber sections 2 b of all chambers are connected to one ofa plurality of electrically activatable valves 14. Each valve serves toclose a opening or duct 15 extending from one pumping chamber 2 at thefirst side of substrate 1 through the substrate 1 to a second, oppositeside thereof. In many embodiments, this second side of substrate 1,which is the bottom side in FIG. 1, is one of the outer sides of thedevice.

A possible design of the valves 14 is e.g. shown in FIG. 2. The valvecomprises a blocking body 17 located in opening or duct 15 and closingthe same. An electrical heater 18, which acts as a heating means and cane.g. be a resistive heater integrated in substrate 1, is arranged inthermal contact with blocking body 17.

Blocking body 17 is of a material that is solid at the nominal operatingtemperature of the device, but it can be molten or evaporated by theheat from heater 18 when the heater is activated by an electricalsignal. Blocking body 17 can e.g. be of a wax or plastic having amelting temperature in the order of 100° C.

The heaters 18 can be controlled individually by means of suitabledriving circuitry, an advantageous embodiment of which is in FIG. 6. Thecircuitry comprises a power supply 20, an intermediate electricalstorage device e.g. in the form of a capacitor C, and a control andswitching assembly 21.

For valve activation, control and switching assembly 21 can selectivelyconnect capacitor C to at least one of the valves 14 (i.e. the heaters18) at a time. The embodiment of FIG. 6 shows an assembly where a singleswitch is attributed to each valve, which allows to connect each valveto capacitor C. In particular if a large number of pumping chambers 2 isprovided in a two dimensional array, matrix switching geometries withrow and column driving circuitry can be used as well. Such designs areknown to the person skilled in the art.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the application of capacitor C as anintermediate electrical storage device provides a fail safe againstactivation of an exceedingly large number of valves 14 at the same time.In simplified approximation, this is achieved as follows:

-   -   Capacitor C has a storage capacity E=V²·C/2, where V designates        the voltage delivered by voltage supply 20, and is able to        supply electricity at a first power level P1 limited only by the        internal resistance of the capacitor and the resistance of its        load.    -   Power supply 20 is limited to supply electricity at no more than        a second power level P2. In the embodiment of FIG. 6, this is        illustrated by a resistor R1 in series to the voltage source of        power supply 20, which limits the second power level available        outside power supply 20 to P2=V²/R1/2.    -   Each heater 18 of a valve 14 requires a threshold power Pt and        threshold energy Et for activation, i.e. for melting the        blocking body 17.    -   By choosing the storage capacity E, the first power level P1 and        the second power level P2 such that

Pt<P1 and Pt>P2 and Et<E,

the maximum power P2 from power supply 20 is not able to directlyactivate a valve in the presence of a malfunction of the device. Inaddition, by limiting the energy E that can be stored in capacitor C to

E<k·Et,

with k being a constant larger than 1 but smaller than the maximumnumber of valves to be activated at the same time plus 1, the energystored in capacitor C will not allow to activate more than the maximumnumber of allowable valves at the same time, even in case of amalfunction of control and switching assembly 21. k can e.g. be chosento be >1 and <2 if the device is to open only a single valve at a time.

Control and switching assembly 21 can be equipped to monitor the heaters18. This is particularly advantageous when the device is designed suchthat the heater 18 is destroyed when its valve is activated. In thiscase, when a valve is activated properly, the corresponding heater 18will change its impedance (e.g. it will go to a very high value), whichcan monitored by control and switching assembly 21.

In the following, various applications of the present device aredescribed.

In all these applications, it is assumed that there is a target fluid asdefined above, which is the fluid that is to be conveyed by the device,as well as an auxiliary fluid, which is located in the chamber sectionsnot used by the target fluid. Typically, the auxiliary fluid can be air,even though other fluids can be used as well.

Application 1:

In one application, which is particularly advantageous for drug deliveryor fuel delivery for fuel cells and similar applications, the targetfluid is located in the first chamber sections 2 a and needs to bedelivered in consecutive, small amounts to channel 8. In other words,the first chamber sections 2 a form a reservoir for the fluid to bedelivered. Initially, i.e. when the fluid delivery device is in itsfull, charged state, all membranes 3 are in the first position as shownin FIG. 2 and all (or a large majority of the) the first chambersections 2 a are filled with the target fluid. In use, the membranes 3of the chambers are released, e.g. one at a time, by individuallyactivating the valves 14, e.g. one after the other. Each time a valve 14is activated, the corresponding membrane 3 moves to its second, relaxedstate as shown in FIG. 3, thereby delivering the target fluid from firstchamber section 2 a to channel 8.

In this application, the pump is prepared by manufacturing substrate 1and applying the blocking bodies 17 for closing the valves. This cane.g. occur by means of known photolithographic manufacturing techniques,such as microlithographic structuring and etching. Substrate 1 preparedin this way is brought into a vacuum environment. Foil 4 is preparedwith a suitable adhesive layer at one side and placed over the top sideof substrate 1 with the adhesive layer in contact with the walls 5. Theadhesive forms a tight connection with the top edges of these walls.Thermal treatment may be used to improve the quality of the connection.

The assembly of substrate 1 and foil 4 prepared in this way is subjectedto ambient pressure, which will cause foil 1 to be pushed into therecesses 6 by elastic deformation. In this state, the volume of thefirst chamber sections 2 a above the membranes 3 will be substantiallylarger than the volume of the second chamber sections 2 b below themembranes 3.

Cover plate 10 can be mounted to substrate 1, either before or aftersubjecting substrate 1 and foil 4 to ambient pressure.

The target liquid can now be filled into channel 8 and the first chambersections 2 a, e.g. using capillary effects and/or gravity.

In normal operation, the volume V2 at the second (lower) side ofsubstrate 1 must e.g. be brought into connection with air under ambientpressure.

Now, the pump is ready to deliver the target fluid.

To deliver an amount of target fluid, a given number of valves (e.g. asingle valve) is activated, which allows auxiliary fluid (air) to enterthrough the opening(s) or duct (s) 15 into the second chamber section(s)2 b, which in turn allows the membrane(s) 3 of the corresponding pumpingchamber(s) 2 to relax, releasing their elastic energy and conveying thetarget fluid from the first chamber section(s) 2 a to channel 8. If thepressure in the target fluid is the same as the one in the auxiliaryfluid, the membrane can relax completely, thereby ejecting all targetfluid from the first chamber section. If the pressures are not equal,the amount of ejected target fluid depends on the pressures as well asthe stiffness of the membrane.

The volume of target fluid ejected through port section 11 of channel 8can be monitored by means of flow sensor 12.

The ejection procedure can be repeated by successively opening differentvalves 14, thereby repetitively releasing defined amounts of targetfluid to channel 8.

Application 2:

Similarly, the present device can be used for sucking target fluid inthrough port section 11 of channel 8. In this case, foil 4 is applied tosubstrate 1 under ambient pressure, thus manufacturing a device wherethe membranes 3 are in a relaxed state and the first chamber sections 2a have much smaller volumes than the second chamber sections 2 b. Thesecond chamber sections 2 b are filled by an auxiliary fluid, such asair.

To operate the device, a vacuum is created in volume V2 below substrate1. To draw in an amount of target liquid, one (or more) of the valves 14are activated, thereby sucking the auxiliary fluid out of thecorresponding second chamber section(s) 2 b and deforming themembrane(s) 3, which in turn causes target fluid to be drawn fromchannel 8 into the first chamber section(s) 2 a.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. In differsfrom the first embodiment by having a reservoir chamber 22 attributed toeach pumping chamber 2. The reservoir chambers 22 replace the commonvolume V2 of the first embodiment. They serve as an (at least partially)elastic energy storage means and are e.g. filled with a pressurized gasunder elevated pressure of e.g. 10 bar, i.e. under a pressure higherthan the pressure in pump chamber 2. This filled state corresponds tothe “elastically deformed” state of the energy storage means. Thepressurized gas is released into second chamber section 2 b when valve14 is activated, thereby pressing fluid from first chamber section 2 ainto channel 8 and bringing the energy storage means to its relaxedstate.

The second embodiment further differs from the first embodiment by thedesign of valve 14. In the second embodiment, a membrane-like thin film23 acts as a blocking body and extends through the bottom section of allpump chambers 2, thereby closing the openings or ducts 15. Heaters 18are arranged on film 23, with at least one heater 18 attributed to eachopening or duct 15. When a heater 18 is heated, it locally melts and/orevaporates film 23 thereby forming an opening connecting thecorresponding pump chamber 2 to its reservoir chamber 22 and causing thepressurized gas from reservoir chamber 22 to enter into second chambersection 2 b.

Advantageously, at least one reservoir chamber 22 is attributed to pumpchamber 2 and the reservoir chambers are separate from each other, i.e.they do not communicate. Hence, the pressure available for expandingsecond chamber section 2 b after activating its valve 14 is independentof the number of other valves that have already 14 been opened.

Thin film 23 is, advantageously, of a material having high tensilestiffness such that it is not significantly deformed by the pressure inreservoir chamber 22. To further decrease the deformation of thin film23, stiff support sections 25 are mounted to the walls 26 that separatethe reservoir chamber 22.

Heater 18 is e.g. a resistor connected to metal leads 24 arranged onthin film 23.

The pump according to this second embodiment can e.g. be manufactured bythe following steps:

a) providing a grid-like matrix of the walls 5 separating the pumpchamber 2;

b) applying thin film 23 with the heaters 18 to the bottom side thereofas shown in FIG. 8,

c) applying, under elevated pressure, the substrate 1 forming thereservoir cavities 22 to the bottom side of thin film 23;

d) applying, under vacuum conditions, the membrane 3 to the top side ofthe walls 5 such that it collapses into the chambers 2 under normalpressure, as shown in FIG. 9.

e) Mounting cover plate 10 and filling the pump cavities 2.

Third Embodiment

FIGS. 10 and 11 show a third embodiment of the invention, which isbasically similar to the second embodiment but where membrane 3 hasincreased thickness in the region of pump chamber 2. This can e.g. beachieved if membrane 3 is assembled from a first and a second membrane 3a, 3 b, which are interconnected in the regions of the walls 5 and forma blister 28 in each chamber 2. Blister 28 can e.g. be filled by air orby any other suitable fluid.

As shown in FIG. 1, when valve 14 is activated and second chambersection 2 b is expanded, the blister 28 extends into channel 8 therebyreducing the amount of residual fluid therein. This is in particularadvantageous if, after expansion of chamber section 2 b, the pressure involume V2 or reservoir chamber 22 is not much larger than the one inchannel 8.

Alternatively, or in addition to this, the amount of undesired residualfluid in channel 8 can be reduced by reducing the cross section of thechannel, e.g. by giving it a width substantially smaller than the widthof each pumping chamber 2.

Fourth Embodiment

Yet a further embodiment is shown in FIGS. 12 to 14. In this embodiment,pumping chamber 2 is again divided into two chamber sections 2 a, 2 b bymeans of flexible membrane 3. In this embodiment, membrane 3 iselastically extendible.

In the “loaded” state of the pump, as shown in FIG. 12, membrane 3 isattached, under elastic extension, to the wall of second chamber section2 b, e.g. by means of a heat releasable glue 30 or by means of welding,in at least one area 31. First chamber section 2 a is filled with thefluid to be pumped.

A heater 18 is located in thermal communication with area 31. When it isheated by an electrical signal, the attachment for retaining membrane 3formed e.g. by glue 30 is destroyed and membrane 3 is released, whichallows it to relax to the position shown in FIG. 13.

An opening 32 can be provided from chamber section 2 b through substrate1 for airing second chamber section 2 b while membrane 3 is relaxing.

The pump according to this embodiment can e.g. be manufactured byapplying membrane 3 to substrate 1 as shown in FIG. 14, whereupon avacuum is applied to opening 32 for drawing membrane 3 into the recessof chamber 2. At the same time, the glue 30 is heated such that it is ina molten state when membrane 3 comes into contact with it. Then thedevice is cooled, thereby allowing glue 30 to harden and to form theretaining mechanism of membrane 3 in second chamber section 2 b.

The glue 30 can be any suitable material that adheres to membrane 3 andthat, under the application of heat, changes its properties such thatthe adherence to membrane 3 becomes at least so small that membrane 3 isreleased. Hence, the term “glue” must be understood in a broad manner.

Alternatively, membrane 3 can be pushed into the recess of pump chamber2 by means of a suitable matrix of stamps, as indicated by referencenumeral 33.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 12 to 14, the membrane 3 in each pumpingchamber 2 forms an elastic energy storage means, which has two states orpositions:

a) In the “loaded” state of the pump or fluid delivery device, theelastic energy storage means is held in an elastically deformed state bymeans of an electrically releasable retaining mechanism, namely glue 30and heater 18. In this loaded state, membrane 3 is in a first position.All (or nearly all) first chamber sections are filled with the targetfluid to be delivered.

b) For pumping the fluid out of first chamber section 2 a, the retainingmechanism or attachment is released by means of an electrical signal toheater 18, thereby releasing the elastic energy storage means. Thiscauses membrane 2 to move into a relaxed state at a second position,thereby decreasing the volume of the first chamber section 2 a andincreasing the volume of the second chamber section 2 b.

The elastic energy storage means may also be a plate spring arranged inthe chamber below membrane 3 and attached to the same. In the loadedstate of the pump, plate spring is in an elastically deformed, lowerposition, where it is held by glue 30. When heater 18 is activated andglue 30 melts, thereby releasing the spring, the spring moves upward andpushes membrane 3 into first chamber section 2 a.

As can be noted, the embodiment of FIGS. 12 to 14 does not necessarilyrequire a valve, even though it could use a valve. For example, insteadof providing a permanently open opening 32, the opening may be formed byheater 18 as in the embodiments above. This allows to combine thetechnology of the embodiment of FIG. 12 to 14 with those shown in theother figures.

Alternatively, an electrically releasable attachment for retaining themembranes in their deformed state can also be formed by the valves ofthe embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 3.

In particular, a circuitry of the type shown in FIG. 6 and with theproperties described above can be used for heating the heaters 18 thatrelease the glue 30.

Other Applications:

In the above applications, the target fluid is conveyed to/from thefirst chamber sections 2 a while the auxiliary fluid is conveyed from/tothe second chamber sections 2 b.

Alternatively, the target fluid can be conveyed to/from the secondchamber sections 2 b while the auxiliary fluid is conveyed from/to thefirst chamber sections 2 a. In some applications, this alternative maybe less desirable because the target fluid may be contaminated by thepresence of material from the blocking bodies 17. To collect and guidethe target fluid in this application, volume V2 below substrate 1 cane.g. be formed by a suitable channel, similar to channel 8 at the topside of the embodiment of FIG. 1. Channel 8, on the other hand, may bedispensed with.

From the above it follows that there are basically four methods foroperating the device.

1. Upon activating the valves 14, the auxiliary fluid is conveyed to orfrom the first chamber sections 2 a and the target fluid is conveyedfrom or to the second chamber sections 2 b.

2. Upon activating the valves 14, the target fluid is conveyed to orfrom the first chamber sections 2 a and the auxiliary fluid is conveyedfrom or to the second chamber sections 2 b.

3. The pressure drop over the valves 14 is such that, upon activating avalve 14, fluid enters the second chamber section 2 b. This can e.g. beachieved by applying foil 4 under vacuum as described above, but it canalso be achieved if the pressure in volume V2 is higher than thepressure in the second chamber sections 2 b prior to opening the valves.

4. The pressure drop over said the 14 is such that, upon activating avalve 14, fluid exits from the second chamber section 2 b. This can e.g.be achieved by artificially decreasing the pressure in the volume V2 asdescribed above, or by elevating the pressure in the chamber sections toa value higher than the pressure in volume V2.

Methods 1 and 2 are alternatives, and methods 3 and 4 are alternativesas well, but method 1 can be combined with either method 3 or 4, andmethod 2 can also be combined with either method 3 or 4.

As to the embodiment of FIGS. 12-14, the target fluid can either bepumped out of first chamber section 2 a or into second chamber section 2b, so the device can be used either for releasing target fluid or forcollecting target fluid.

Other Embodiments

The design of the device shown in FIG. 1 can be varied in differentways.

For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, a single valve 14 isattributed to each pumping chamber 2. However, e.g. for redundancypurposes or for increasing the speed of fluid exchange, several valvesand openings/ducts may be connected to a single pumping chamber 2.

The valves may also be arranged on the second (bottom) side of substrate1.

The openings or ducts 15 and/or the recesses 6 can also be arranged incover plate 10, or recesses and/or ducts can be provided in cover plate10 as well as substrate 1. In particular, channel 8 can be dispensedwith if one set of ducts, leading to the first chamber sections, isprovided in cover plate 10, and a second set of ducts, leading to thesecond chamber sections 2 b, is provided in substrate 1.

Blocking body 17 may also be formed by a thin membrane extending overopening or duct 15 and comprising a conducting stripe, wherein, foractivating the valve, a current sufficiently large for locally meltingor evaporating the stripe membrane. In this embodiment, the conductingstripe acts as a heater and blocking body at the same time.

In the embodiments shown so far, the membrane was elastic and it wasextended elastically during deformation. However, in the embodiments ofFIGS. 1-11 the membrane does not necessarily have to be elastic. It mayalso form a deformable bellows structure in each pumping chamber 2 thatallows deformation to accommodate for the varying pressures in the twochamber sections.

To further increase the safety of the device, several of the valves 14can be arranged in series in each chamber, which reduces the risk that avalve leak or unintentionally opened valve causes a release of fluid.Similarly, several of the releasable attachments or glue patches 30 ofFIGS. 12-14 can be arranged in parallel.

While there are shown and described presently preferred embodiments ofthe invention, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention isnot limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied andpractised within the scope of the following claims.

1. A multicellular pump, in particular a multicellular fluid delivery device, comprising a reservoir holding the fluid to be delivered, a plurality of pumping chambers, a deformable membrane arranged in each pumping chamber dividing the pumping chamber into a first and a second chamber section, a channel connected to all said first chamber sections, a plurality of elastic energy storage means, each of said energy storage means being retained by an electrically releasable retaining mechanism in an elastically deformed state and being releasable by an electric signal to relax from said deformed state to a relaxed state, wherein by releasing said energy storage means said membrane is moved from a first position to a second position thereby decreasing a volume of said first chamber section and increasing a volume of said second chamber section, and wherein said reservoir is formed by said first chamber sections.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein each elastic energy storage means is formed by said membranes and wherein said deformed state corresponds to said first position and said relaxed state corresponds to said second position.
 3. The device of claim 1 wherein all said membranes are in said first position and wherein all said first chamber sections are full of said target fluid.
 4. The multicellular pump of claim 1 comprising a substrate, wherein said pumping chambers are arranged at a first side of said substrate.
 5. The multicellular pump of claim 4 comprising openings or ducts extending from said first side through said substrate to a second side of said substrate opposite said first side, each opening or duct connected to at least one of said pumping chambers.
 6. The multicellular pump of claim 4 wherein said substrate comprises a plurality of recesses, wherein said pumping chambers are formed at least in part by said recesses.
 7. The multicellular pump of claim 1 wherein said retaining mechanisms are formed by a plurality of electrically activatable valves, each valve being connected to one of said second chamber sections, such that the membrane separating the first chamber section from the second chamber section is movable by activating said valve in the presence of a pressure drop over said valve.
 8. The multicellular pump of claim 7 wherein each second chamber is connected by an opening or duct, which opening is closeable by one of said valves, to an outside of said pump.
 9. The multicellular pump of claim 7 wherein each valve comprises a thermally removable blocking body and a heating means arranged in thermal contact with said blocking body.
 10. The multicellular pump of claim 9 wherein said blocking body is meltable or evaporatable by heating said heating means.
 11. The multicellular pump of claim 9 wherein said blocking body is formed by a thin film closing an opening or duct leading to said pump chamber.
 12. The multicellular pump of claim 9 wherein the heating means and the blocking bodies of said pumping chambers are all arranged on a common substrate.
 13. The multicellular pump of claim 1 wherein said retaining mechanisms are formed by a plurality of electrically releasable attachments comprising heaters, each of which is attached to one of said elastic energy storage means.
 14. The multicellular pump of claim 13 wherein each of said attachments pulls one membrane into one of said pumping chambers and is released by heating said heater.
 15. The multicellular pump of claim 14 wherein each attachment comprises a heat releasable glue.
 16. The multicellular pump of claim 1 comprising an intermediate electrical storage device having a storage capacity and an being able to supply electricity at a first power level, a power supply feeding electricity to said intermediate electrical storage device, said power supply being limited to supply electricity at no more than a second power level, and a control and switching assembly for selectively connecting said intermediate electrical storage device to at least one of said retaining mechanisms at a time, wherein one retaining mechanism requires a threshold power and threshold energy for activation, wherein said threshold power is below said first power level and above said second power level and said threshold energy is below said storage capacity, and in particular wherein the storage capacity is smaller than the product of a maximum number of valves to be activated at the same time plus 1 times the threshold energy.
 17. The multicellular pump of claim 1 comprising a flow restrictor for limiting a flow of fluid from or to said pump to a maximally allowable flow value, and/or a flow sensor for monitoring the flow of the conveyed fluid.
 18. A method for operating the device claim 1 comprising bringing all said energy storage means into said deformed state and all said membranes into said first position, filling said first chamber sections with said target fluid, subsequently releasing said energy storage means for conveying defined amounts of target fluid to said channel.
 19. A multicellular pump, in particular a multicellular fluid delivery device comprising a plurality of pumping chambers, a deformable membrane arranged in each pumping chamber dividing the pumping chamber into a first and a second chamber section, a plurality of electrically activatable valves, each valve being connected to a second chamber section, such that the membrane separating the first chamber section from the second chamber section is movable by activating said valve in the presence of a pressure drop over said valve.
 20. The multicellular pump of claim 19 comprising a substrate, wherein said pumping chambers are arranged at a first side of said substrate.
 21. The multicellular pump of claim 20 comprising openings or ducts extending from said first side through said substrate to a second side of said substrate opposite said first side, each opening or duct connected to at least one of said pumping chambers, wherein at least one of said valves is arranged on said substrate at each opening or duct for closing said opening or duct.
 22. The multicellular pump claim 19 wherein each second chamber is connected by an opening or duct, which closeable by one of said valves, to an outside of said pump.
 23. The multicellular pump of claim 19 wherein each valve comprises a thermally removable blocking body and a heating means arranged in thermal contact with said blocking body.
 24. The multicellular pump of claim 23 wherein said blocking body is meltable or evaporatable by heating said heating means and/or wherein said blocking body is formed by a thin film closing an opening or duct leading to said pump chamber.
 25. The multicellular pump of claim 23 wherein the heating means and the blocking bodies of said pumping chambers are all arranged on a common substrate.
 26. The multicellular pump of claim 19 further comprising a channel connected to said first chamber sections.
 27. The multicellular pump of claim 19 comprising an intermediate electrical storage device having a storage capacity and an being able to supply electricity at a first power level, a power supply feeding electricity to said intermediate electrical storage device, said power supply being limited to supply electricity at no more than a second power level, and a control and switching assembly for selectively connecting said intermediate electrical storage device to at least one of said valves at a time, wherein one valve requires a threshold power and threshold energy for activation, wherein said threshold power is below said first power level and above said second power level and said threshold energy is below said storage capacity.
 28. The multicellular pump of claim 27 wherein the storage capacity is smaller than the product of a maximum number of valves to be activated at the same time plus 1 times the threshold energy.
 29. The multicellular pump of claim 19 further comprising a plurality of separate reservoir chambers, wherein each pump chamber is connected, via at least one valve to at least one reservoir chamber and.
 30. The multicellular pump of claim 29 wherein each reservoir chamber is attributed to no more than one pump chamber and/or a pressurized gas is arranged in said reservoir chambers.
 31. A multicellular pump, in particular a multicellular fluid delivery device, comprising a plurality of pumping chambers, a deformable membrane arranged in each pumping chamber dividing the pumping chamber into a first and a second chamber section, a plurality of elastic energy storage means, each of said energy storage means being a) held in a first, elastically deformed state by means of an electrically releasable attachment b) releasable from said first position to a second position by releasing said attachment, wherein by releasing said energy storage means said membrane is moved from a first position to a second position thereby decreasing a volume of said first chamber section and increasing a volume of said second chamber section.
 32. The multicellular pump of claim 31 wherein each elastic energy storage means is formed by part of said membrane and wherein each attachment pulls part of said membrane into one of said pumping chambers under elastic deformation, such that the membrane is movable by releasing said attachment.
 33. The multicellular pump of claim 31, wherein said attachment comprises a heater and a heat releasable glue.
 34. The multicellular pump claim 31 comprising a flow restrictor for limiting a flow of fluid from or to said pump to a maximally allowable flow value and/or a flow sensor for monitoring the flow of the conveyed fluid.
 35. A method for conveying a target fluid using the device of claim 19 comprising applying a pressure drop over said valves and activating said valves individually or in groups for moving the membranes attributed to said valves.
 36. The method of claim 35 wherein, upon activating said valves, an auxiliary fluid is conveyed to or from said first chamber sections and the target fluid is conveyed from or to said second chamber sections.
 37. The method of claim 36 wherein, upon activating said valves, the target fluid is conveyed to or from said first chamber sections and an auxiliary fluid is conveyed from or to said second chamber sections.
 38. The method claim 36 wherein a pressure drop over said valves is such that, upon activating a valve, fluid enters the second chamber section.
 39. The method of claim 36 wherein a pressure drop over said valves is such that, upon activating a valve, fluid exits from the second chamber section. 